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MARKER BRACKET FOR RAILROAD CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, I919.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

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J. STEELE.

MARKER BRACKET FOR RAILROAD CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1919.

1,317,995. Patented Oct. 7,1919.

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JESSE STEELE, 0F ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

MARKER-BRACKET FOR RAILROAD OARS.

Speeiucation of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. '7, 1919.

Application filed March 21, 1919. Serial No. 283,990.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEssE STEELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have-invented a new and useful Marker-Bracket for Railroad-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The-object of my invention is to provide an improved emergency marker bracket which may be readily fastened to one of the grab irons of a railroad car; and which may be manufactured at relatively small cost and adapted for use under varying conditions by reason of its adjustability.

I attain these and other objects of my invention -by'the mechanism illustrated; in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a s1de elevation of the invention, the grab iron being shown in sections;

Fig. 2 is a top' plan;

Fig. 3 is a front view; and

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawingls, I (provide a main plate 1, to which 1s inge ly mounted a top plate 3 by means of binge pin 5. Plate 1 is provided with a socket portion 2, and plate 3 with a corresponding socket portion 4 to engage the rab iron 14. I provide a suitable wing Eolt 6 for adjustably securing the plates 1 and 3 to the grab iron 14. I further. provide a suitable depending rib7, in which is adjustably mounted the adjustlng screw 8, which is provided with a head 9 adapted to abut against the end of the car 15, as indicated in Fig. 1, to support the marker bracket in substantiall horizontal osition. Adjusting screw 8 is ocked in position by a suitable wing nut 13 which abuts against the end of rib 7. Main 1plate 1 is provided with a suitable head 1 havin a downwardly tapering channel exten ing therethrough, and being further provided with a slot 12 extendin only part way to the bottom of the brac t head 10, as shown in Fig. 3. A pluralit of thumb bolts 6 are preferably rovide as shown in Fig. 4.

The brac et is readily applied to the grab iron of a freight car by clamping portions 2 and 4 of plates 1 and 3 over the grab-iron, tightening bolts 6, and ad'ustmg the adjusting screw 8 so that its ead 9 will engage the end of the car and sup port the marker bracket and marker lamp and flag which it may carry in their proper position at the end of .the car. The marker bracket is to be used in case of a car being attached to the rear of a train and no receptacle is provided for marker lamps or flags to indicate the rear of the train. It is made to hold the standard marker lamp now used; and it is intended to supplant the flag now used and save the expense of same, as the marker lamp can be used for night or day to indicate the rear of the train. In case an express car is picked up and no receptacle provided for markers, the trainman is usually given a flag to tie to' the car and in most cases he will fail to take it down, and the railroad is thereby the loser. At the present time railroad 'trainmen are frequently forced to hunt for a piece of wire or cord with which to tie the marker lamp to the rear of cars,

with the result that besides annoyance and delay, in fastening the lamp, there is usually a disastrous termination of the efiort for the lamp which is often broken by knocking against the car. My emergency marker bracket is so constructed as to permit of its convenient and quick attachment to any size grab iron on. any railroad car, and provides a safe means of supporting the marker lamp.

What I claim is:

1. In a marker bracket for railroad cars, hinged plates having socket portions adapted to engage a grab iron, a marker bracket head carried by one of the plates, a rib. depending from the lower' plate, and an ad ustin screw mounted in said rib, adapted to a u-t against the end of the car to hold the marker bracket in substantially horizontal position.

2. In a marker bracket for railroad cars, hinged plates shaped to engage a grab iron, wing bolts adjustably securing said plates in adjusted relation over the grab iron; a marker bracket head shaped to carry a marker lamp, a depending rib, an adjusting screw mounted in said rib and having its head abutting against the end of the railroad car when in adjusted position, and a wing nut adapted to lock the adjusting screw in fixed position, for the purposes described.

JESSE STEELE. 

